The Hargeisa Regional Health Board has been rehabilitating and rebuilding Hargeisa Group Hospital -the biggest referral hospital in Somaliland from 1991-up to now on a volunteer basis. The president disbanded and reprimanded them without consulting the community who selected them, or not even saying thank you.

This misuse of power tantamount to dictatorial tendency of President Riyale, and if not checked will damage the health of our nascent democracy, Democracy cannot survive without good governance build upon accountability, transparency and respect of law.

We say No to that, and no to a group selected by the government without consulting the people in Hargeisa region. Please sign this and add your voice.

We say No to the President of Somaliland for his illegitimate dismissal of Hargeisa Regional Health Board

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The United Nations Mission in Sudan is taking to the airwaves with a new radio drama series aimed at raising public awareness on various issues, including measures related to the ongoing process of implementing the peace accord that ended two decades of civil war in Africa's largest country.

The series, 'Tahed Shadjera Ardeb,' Arabic for 'Under the Tamarind Tree,' can be heard on <"http://www.mirayafm.org/">Radio Miraya, which is run by the mission, known as <"http://unmis.unmissions.org/">UNMIS. The initial programmes will dramatize themes aimed at enlightening the public on the 11-13 April presidential and legislative elections in Sudan.

The national elections are provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, ending the conflict between northern and southern Sudan.

The series will also tackle other themes, including domestic violence, the reintegration of former fighters into society and agriculture.

The programmes are produced in simple Arabic and broadcast on Radio Miraya's southern and northern Sudan programming streams at 12:08 local time. Repeats can be heard in the evening.

Radio drama is considered an effective way of promoting debate on sensitive social and political issues in a compelling way, while also reaching populations with low literacy rates and who have limited access to information because they live in remote areas.

Two decades of war between the Sudanese Government and the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) left more than two million people dead and displaced an estimated four million others.

UNMIS is tasked with assisting both parties implement their commitments under the CPA.

UN Mission in West Africa Encouraged by Guinea Vote Preparations Guinea Interim Military Leader Will Not Run in June ElectionsMilitary Leader Warns Guinea Soldiers About Sabotaging Transition

Guinea's legal community took advantage of the opening of this year's first criminal court session in Conakry to call for an end to years of interference by the executive branch in the justice system.

Guinea opened its first 2010 session of criminal court this week to hear 115 cases, four of which are cases of international drug trafficking. Other charges include murder, rape, arson and armed robbery.

Guinea's legal community expressed hope this new court session and the country's new transitional, power-sharing government under Prime Minister Jean-Marie Dore would usher in much-needed improvements to the country's justice system, including increased respect of legal protocol and a decrease in executive influence on the judiciary.

Court chairman Doura Cherif called for the application of a law that lays out the proper procedure for appointing judges.

He says in 19 years, no president or government minister has been able to apply this measure. He says dominating the justice system is part of an old power structure based on traditional chiefdom that is difficult to reconcile with principles like the separation of judicial and executive powers.

Sampil says the impending trial is marked by issues like serious procedural violations, human rights violations, interference by the executive branch, the summoning of the judges assigned to the cases, and excessive media coverage of those accused of drug trafficking.

Sampil deplored the dysfunctional state of Guinea's legal system, particularly its lack of regularity in holding criminal courts and the subsequent long detentions of prisoners awaiting trial.

State Prosecutor Paul Fofana responded that by law prisoners can not be detained more than 12 months before trial, excluding those charged with crimes like drug trafficking and pedophilia who can be held up to 24 months.

Fofana says despite incidents that have drawn out the process, judicial standards with regards to detention have been observed up to this point.

The state prosecutor says the trials are also an opportunity to demonstrate Guinea's commitment in the fight against international drug trafficking.

Monday, March 29, 2010

By now, most of you have heard about this disorder commonly referred to as Autism. This is a disorder most of us were unfamiliar with before migrating to the West. Yet it has affected many of our children. Most of us know children or families who've been afflicted with this disorder. This article will be focusing on what the signs and symptoms are, as well as the services currently available for children living with Autism.

What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorders are a range of disorders which manifest in three ways: impaired social interaction, problems with communication and abnormal behaviors (e.g., repetitive behavior). The most common is Autism, which will be focused on in this article.

Why Somalis should be concerned

Recently, the Center for Disease Control raised the number of children in the US with Autism, from 1 in 150, to 1 in 110. This is a staggering jump in a country with a population of 315 million. Unfortunately, since many Somalis are recent immigrants, research has been very limited in this field. Despite this, there have been some media reports; the NY Times profiled Minnesota Somalis twice last year, regarding a possible cluster of Autism in Minneapolis's Somali community. In April 2009, the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed the fears of Somali families: Somali children were found to be represented in Autism education programs 2 to 7 times greater than non-Somali students. Researchers in Minneapolis and neighboring St. Cloud are presently trying to determine what the true prevalence of Autism is amongst Somalis in Minnesota. Amongst Ohio Somalis, no formal studies have been commissioned as of yet. In my work at Nationwide Children's Hospital in the Speech Therapy Department, I can confidently say that the Somali children we serve are increasingly children with a diagnosis of Autism.

Signs and Symptoms?

· Little or no eye contact

· For infants, no babbling or pointing to different things

· No single words by 16 months, or 2-word phrases by 2 years of age

· No response to one's name or simple directions

· Lining up of toys and other rigid, repetitive behavior

· Child may have had language/social skills at one time, but lost those skills

· Echolalia: the child will repeat words, phrases or sentences which you say several times. Children may also repeat lines from TV shows or movies several times.

Most of us have heard Somali people say the following: "if the child's not talking, don't worry! The child will grow out of it." I've heard this first hand from Somali mothers of children with Autism. While this may be true for a few children, late talking is one of the symptoms of Autism. If you recognize these signs/symptoms in your children, you should contact your family doctor right away. Your family doctor will refer you to professionals trained in diagnosing Autism (developmental doctors, psychologists etc). If a diagnosis is made, your doctor will write you referrals for services, depending on the age of the child.

What treatments are available?

Typically for young children (0-3), services are administered through early intervention where the child will have access to occupational therapists, speech therapists, and other professionals.

Once a child reaches the age of 3, there are special needs preschools and kindergartens designed to provide intensive services. Once a child is school aged, an assessment will be completed to see if the child qualifies for what is called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The symptoms of children with Autism vary from case to case; some children display average language skills, while others will be severely delayed. Children with more moderate to severe Autism are usually provided an IEP. The creation of an IEP leads to greater accommodations made for the student in the classroom and additional services which may include occupational therapy, ABA therapy, and speech therapy.

Early intervention is key!

Research has shown that outcomes are best for children who receive an early diagnosis, and start receiving treatment early. The earlier a child is assessed (and treated), the better.

What you can do

1. Contact the departments of health and education in your own city, and encourage them to commission studies looking into the autism prevalence in the Somali community. The key to the positive response of the local and state government in Minnesota was due in large part to the advocacy of Somali parents with children with Autism. More studies need to be done to assess the prevalence of Autism. Once researchers and health professionals better understand the numbers, treatment options will become more customized to the Somali population.

2. Become more involved in your children's schools and hospitals. Engagement with the greater community will provide Somalis with a greater voice wherever they may be.

Cultural life in Iraq is on the back-burner, but it still exists. And now the Iraq authorities are reaching out, to Malmö.

During a trip to the country, Natik Awayez, artistic director for the Inkonst Culture Center in Malmö, was invited by Aqeel Al Mindlawie, Iraq's general director for cultural relations:

"He wants Swedish poets to participate in a poetry festival in Basra, perhaps with a special Swedish evening," says Natik Awayez.

The poetry festival in Basra has been around for a long time, even during Saddam Hussein's time, but hasn't been active for many years. Now it's been taken up again, and last year was the first time since the break that it's been organized.

The festival takes place in April and that's not enough time to arrange for a contribution from Malmö. Natik Awayez forwarded the invitation to Malmö publisher Per Bergström, who's also behind the Stanza poetry festival.

"We won't make it by April. It requires enormous planning, it's not like going to a festival in Berlin. But it would surely be exciting if we could do something next year," says Per Bergström.

He will also check if SIDA (the Swedish International Development Authority) and the Swedish Insittute will invest money in a cultural exchange with Iraq, an effort which they can join in, in any case.

Natik Awayez says it's not surprising that those responsible in Iraq turned to Malmö.

"In Iraq everybody knows Malmö, it's really so, there are so many families who have relatives and friends here. People speak of Malmö as if it were an Iraqi city, it's absolutely fantastic."

Rayaale's visit to Borama is a desperate attempt to harvest supporters: The first ever visit to Borama at a time when his support there is from single digits to non existent.

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always; Mahatma Gandhi

The theme of the day is Mr. Rayaal how dear you come to Borama?

The people of Borama and other parts of Somaliland are saying to Mr. Rayaale how dare you come to Borama now? They will take the opportunity to remind him the following brief sample of his multiple blunders, the absence of public services, the selling of public properties, land and the constitutional violations:

1. Constant attempts to derail and destroy what the self-less people of this nascent state have built.2. Selling the historical treasure islands of Sa'adin and Ceebat. 3. Endless political bickering and the creation of unnecessary crisis 4. Unnecessary extension and delaying of the presidential elections 5. Appointment of numerous incompetent cronies and political hacks to vital ministerial positions6. Lack of transparency and accountability7. Tendency and the unquenchable lust to misappropriate the meager public funds. 8. The office is used as a place to bully people, arbitrary imprisonment of political opponents and intimidation of the public 9. Behavior of acting as a dictator in an elected office.10. Using the office of the residency as a personal tool 11. Creation of unviable, unplanned and unnecessary regions which are potential dispute creating structures. He has done all that in order to stay in power. Despite all that negative efforts he has lost the support of nearly 80% of Somalilanders. His re-elections prospects are from 0-5%.

Rayale's Attempt to sell Gadabursi Jerusalem – Saylac – is one of his lifetime crimes against Samaron Uma with impunity

Rayaale's visit on the 29th of March 1010 to the city of Borama came as shock to Somalilanders inside and outside the country. Nobody expected him to come there. Many people are asking why now? The question is very simple his support in Awdal, Selel and all other Somaliland regions has evaporated. For the last several years Rayaale has put the country through numerous unnecessary crisis which nobody wants.

Somaliland is a resurgent country which is the creation of its resilient people. He was given the opportunity to rule the revolutionary democracy which is the only one of its kind in the Horn of Africa, but he misused that mandate, over stepped his authority, plunged the country and the people into man made crisis, and attempted to create instability, by using all kinds of manipulations in his quest to indefinitely stay in power. He became more unpopular than ever before.

the only thing the people of Borama and all Somaliland would like to hear is if he peacefully steps down today, without further dragging the country into more problems. Me Rayaale is not welcome in Borama, after the chain of blunders and unconstitutional actions he perpetrated against the people of Somaliland.

The peak of Rayaale's crimes have reached unprecedented heights following the selling of the historical islands of "Sa'adin and Ceebat" to outsiders, and conspiring with the megalomaniac dictator next door of the tiny tribal Dom of Djibouti. Again we are telling whoever bought those Island to better get their money from Rayaale, because the people of Awdal and Salel will not let outsiders bought their land. Let me tell whoever is buying or bought those two islands Rayaale or anybody else has no mandate to buy the historical islands of Sa'adin and Ceebat.

He let the Djibouti dictator who was in a mission to distract attention from what he is doing to his people, who brought the coronation of so called Ugas from Ethiopia to the Gadaboursi/Somaliland Jerusalem of Zeila. I am surprised how he dears to come to Borama after the crimes treachery he committed against the people of Awdal, Selel in particular and Somaliland in general. Mr. Mr. you need to stop dragging your feet from holding the presidential election. I know you know you will lose the election by a landslide margin if is held today. Mr. Rayaale you need to resign now and save some of whatever is left of your tainted name.

If you do not heed this advice and drag your feet to hold the presidential elections, you will lose the election with landslide, and may be put in front of a peoples' court to answer your infractions. If you do the latter the people of Borama will decide if you will be welcome to live in Borama as a private citizen or not.

Mohamed Aden watches his son, Abdikadir Abdullahi, 9, check email. Aden left his family, and a life of suburban comfort, in 2008 to help rebuild a corner of Somalia. He returned recently to be with his wife for the birth of their sixth child. (MPR Photo/Laura Yuen)

by Laura Yuen, Minnesota Public Radio

Burnsville, Minn. — Somali-Americans in Minnesota have long been told they have a duty to help their homeland. But few took that calling to heart like Mohamed Aden.

The Burnsville dad left his life of suburban comfort two years ago for an especially violent corner of Somalia. Now Aden is that region's leader. He's brought local governance --- and relative peace and order -- to a part of the world where problems of famine and fighting seemed unsolvable.

Aden, who is back in Minnesota this month visiting his wife and children, speaks to his fellow Somali-Americans Saturday in Minneapolis, urging them to answer the call of service -- even though he knows that like him, they would miss their adopted home.

When driving to Aden's tidy little townhouse in Burnsville, you need to pass the SuperTarget and the Barnes and Noble, and turn left when you see the Red Lobster.

These were the comforts Aden craved after moving to Somalia.

"The first year, it was the worst in my life, really. I got homesick everyday," he said. I missed Olive Garden, Subway, the movie theater, SportsCenter, all those things."

I can't say the State Department 'recommends,' in those words, the actions of Mr. Aden, but they are certainly commendable. - Pamela Fierst, senior Somalia desk officer

Aden said Minnesota is where he belongs. His wife, Shamso, and six children are here. Little Ayan, his first daughter, was born just a few weeks ago, and Aden made it to the states in time for her birth.

But he is also bound by a sense of duty to his homeland. Sitting at his dining table while his five young boys watch cartoons, Aden said before he left for Somalia, he spent many days -- maybe too many days -- on the couch while a civil war and clan fighting destroyed his home country.

"I figured out in my living room, things will not get better," he said. "I have to go there, and I have to sacrifice. Someone has to sacrifice, and it might as well be me."

These days, Minnesotans hear more about the young Twin Cities men who authorities say left for Somalia to join the terrorist group al-Shabaab. But while they were intent on adding to Somalia's chaos, Aden arrived at around the same time offering a path to stability.

Even before he left, Aden, became known as the ultimate "doer" among many Somalis in Minnesota. He was in charge of organizing big cultural and political events while attending Minnesota State University in Mankato, where he received a master's degree in public administration.

In some ways, Aden is a logical choice to fix a piece of Somalia. He was part of the country's brain drain -- a young generation of people who fled to the West for safety and education following the start of the civil war in 1991. He said his master's degree prepared him well -- even though he at times collects taxes in the form of goats rather than cash.

What amazes many Somalis in the diaspora, and even U.S. government officials, is that Aden, 37, almost singlehandedly established order. In a country where the central government only controls a few blocks in the capital city of Mogadishu, some say Aden's style of "bottom-up" style of administration is the answer.

"I can't say the State Department 'recommends,' in those words, the actions of Mr. Aden, but they are certainly commendable," said Pamela Fierst, senior Somalia desk officer for the State Deparment's Bureau of African Affairs.

Fierst has never met Aden but read about him last fall in the New York Times. The reporter described Aden as an "accidental warlord, and a shard of hope," for essentially building a state within a state.

Ayan AbdullahiFierst said it was one of the most positive news stories she's read about Somalia, and she's been trying to find a way to connect with him. While the State Department stands behind Somalia's president, she said, it's also supportive of someone like Aden, who can foster peace in at least one pocket of the country.

"We're just interested in talking to him," Fierst said. "What does he need? How can we take efforts like that and replicate it? He's definitely a guy we'd love to have on our Rolodex."

Still, even Aden didn't know what he was getting into when he arrived in the town of Adado.

"It was a scary situation over there, when I went there," he said.

When he arrived, there were two or three shooting deaths a day in the region, known as Himan and Heeb. His clansmen were killing each other over scarce pastures and drinking water.

Aden, in his mid-30s, with his iPhone, and American English mixed in with his Somali, tried to learn the ways of the nomads. But even though he lived in Somalia for the first 22 years of his life, he hailed from the big city, Mogadishu, and the rural locals in Adado viewed him skepticism, he said.

"It was like a man who goes to the moon, and tries to walk," Aden said. "But we did was focus on humanitarian aspects, instead of political differences of the people."

The people were hungry for help, Aden said. His fellow clan members from all over the world donated about $150,000 to his cause. He set up soup kitchens, schools, and a small police station. He assembled a security force and threatened corporeal punishment.

Slowly he earned the trust of the locals. And then what started as a humanitarian mission evolved. Elders asked him to become the top administrator for the region. He turned them down twice before finally agreeing. The crime rate has dropped dramatically, although piracy remains a problem.

Aden's homesickness faded when he thought of the road he fixed or the well he built. He's getting ready to recruit other Somalis in North America and in Europe to take part in a program he's developing. It's sort of like a specialized Peace Corps, where Somalis can spend three months in his region and share their expertise in agriculture or medicine.

But he knows not everyone is ready to go to one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

"If an individual feels he doesn't have the guts to go to Somalia, they can help here. They can donate money. They can educate people. They can even help the young generation who lost their identity, and has an identity crisis. There are a lot of things. It's endless. Somalia is like ground zero. Anyone can help, and it will make the Somali life better."

But there is a tradeoff to this sacrifice. Aden's 8-year-old-son, Abdirahim Abdullahi, misses his dad.

"He been gone for a pretty long time," Abdirahim said.

Mohamed Aden plans to take his children to Wisconsin Dells next week for spring break. It's not much, he said, but they've had to sacrifice a lot, too.

The prize, set up in 2009 and funded by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum of Dubai, is given every two years to three candidates who have shown outstanding achievement in enhancing the performance and effectiveness of teachers in developing countries or in marginalized or disadvantaged communities.

This year's winners are the Ali Institute of Education in Pakistan, the Center of Excellence for Teacher Training in the Dominican Republic and the Centre Congolais Education pour Tous in the DRC.

The UNESCO-Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize seeks to "support, encourage and benefit those working to improve the quality of teaching towards 'Education for All,'" according to a press release.

The UN-backed Education for All movement launched in 1990 seeks to provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will attend the award ceremony, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai on 27 April.

They said Zebari stormed out after he told his Arab peers that his government was angry over public comments by Gadhafi pledging support to a group of Saddam loyalists he met in Libya earlier this week.

The group included senior commanders of Iraq's Saddam-era army and officials from his outlawed Baath Party.

On Wednesday, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh condemned Gadhafi's Sunday meeting with the 29 Saddam loyalists, describing the move as "undiplomatic" and an "insult" to the people of Iraq.

Iraq's post-Saddam governments are particularly sensitive to any contacts between foreign governments and Saddam loyalists. It views such meetings as an attempt to undermine their legitimacy and casting doubt on the right of the country's Shiite Muslim majority to be the country's most dominant political group.

The Saddam loyalists are almost exclusively from the rival Sunni branch of Islam.

Zebari later rejoined the meeting following a mediation by the foreign ministers of Bahrain and Kuwait, according to the delegates. They had no details on the mediation.

The annual Arab League summit and meetings held just before them are often plagued by no-shows — mostly because of personal disputes among leaders — and on-camera spats.

The meeting that Zebari walked out on was trying to hammer out an agenda for the Arab summit scheduled for Saturday and which is expected to be dominated by the stalled Middle East peace process.

In an opening statement, Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Kosa blamed the deadlock on Israel's "obstinacy" and the "bias" by the West against Arabs.

The Palestinians are seeking a strong Arab stance in the face of Israel's plans to expand Jewish housing in east Jerusalem. They also want millions of dollars in funding for Palestinians living in that section of the city. Arabs view Israeli building in east Jerusalem as disruptive to Mideast peacemaking.

The ministers agreed to recommend to their leaders fulfilling a request by the Palestinian Authority to raise funding for Palestinians living in east Jerusalem from $150 million to $500 million annually, according to Secretary General Amr Moussa afterwards.

They will also recommend creating a new permanent Arab League commissioner position to follow the issue of Jerusalem.

Earlier this month, Arab nations opened the door for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to enter four months of indirect, American-brokered peace talks with Israel. But they later threatened to withdraw support for the indirect talks because of recent Israeli announcements on plans for new settlement building.

Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Israel on Thursday that it is playing with fire over its settlement policy and that the Jewish state must decide whether it wants peace or war.

Abdullah said Israel must take "tangible actions" toward ending settlements and returning to negotiations with Palestinians if it wants peace.

Israel recently announced new housing plans for east Jerusalem, which it captured from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed shortly after. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

The summit's agenda also deals with other Middle East issues such the West's standoff with Iran over its nuclear program, the situation in Iraq and Sudan.

The summit is likely to register a higher-than-usual no-shows by Arab leaders.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, recuperating from a gall bladder operation in Germany, will not go and is sending his prime minister in his place. Lebanon's top leaders are staying away over a decades-old dispute with Tripoli over the 1978 disappearance of a top Lebanese Shiite cleric who was last seen in Libya.

Tripoli denies having any connection with the case.

Instead Lebanon is sending its Arab League's envoy to the March 27-28 summit.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa addresses to media during a press conference in Sirte, Libya. (EPA)

By AGENCIES

SIRTE, Libya: Arab leaders opened a summit on Saturday determined to send a clear warning that the Middle East peace process is doomed unless Israel freezes Jewish settlements in annexed east Jerusalem.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said Arab states should prepare for the possibility that the Palestinian-Israeli peace process may be a total failure and come up with alternatives.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas set the tone when he ruled out US-brokered peace talks with Israel unless the Jewish state backs down on settlements and pleaded with Arab leaders to "rescue" Jerusalem.

"We cannot resume indirect negotiations as long as Israel maintains its settlement policy and the status quo," Abbas said in a speech at the start of the two-day summit.

Abbas, who was speaking after UN chief Ban Ki-moon, urged Arab leaders to help facilitate the US-brokered talks, accused Israel of working to alter the Arab identity of Jerusalem with "ethnic cleansing." "We have always said that Jerusalem is the jewel in the crown and the gate to peace," Abbas said, who insisted that Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem must be the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Moussa did not say what the alternatives to the peace process might be, but one option is to revive an eight-year-old initiative under which Arab states would normalize ties with the Jewish state in exchange for Israeli concessions on territory.

The alternative to the stalled peace process, which is favored by many states in the region is the Arab Peace Initiative, first proposed by Saudi Arabia at an Arab League summit in Beirut in 2002.

Under that initiative, Arab countries would normalize relations with Israel in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and a fair settlement for Palestinian refugees.

Speaking to Arab leaders at a summit of the Arab League in the Libyan town of Sirte, Moussa said a fresh approach was needed.

"We have to study the possibility that the peace process will be a complete failure," Moussa said. "It's time to face Israel. We have to have alternative plans because the situation has reached a turning point.

"The peace process has entered a new stage, perhaps the last stage. We have accepted the efforts of mediators. We have accepted an open-ended peace process." "But that resulted in a loss of time and we did not achieve anything and allowed Israel to practise its policy for 20 years," he said.

The UN chief, also addressing the summit, appealed for Arab backing for the "proximity" indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians, saying "our common goal should be to resolve all final-status issues within 24 months." Ban also reiterated that Israel's settlement activity in east Jerusalem was "illegal" and stressed "Jerusalem's significance to all must be respected, and it should emerge from negotiations as the capital of two states."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, another guest speaker, blasted Israel's policy of considering and treating with the whole of Jerusalem as its united capital as "madness." "Jerusalem is the apple of the eye of each and every Muslim ... and we cannot at all accept any Israeli violation in Jerusalem or in Muslim sites," Erdogan said.

"If Jerusalem burns, all of Palestine will burn, and if Palestine burns then all of the Middle East will be afire," Erdogan warned.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was likewise invited by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to address the summit, said "now is the time to give peace a chance." "We have the possibility, we have the responsibility and we feel the urgency," Berlusconi said.

He hoped that hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "will respond to the call made by the international community to improve the living conditions of Palestinians," especially in the Gaza Strip.

The 13 Arab leaders along with Gaddafi attending the summit are expected to adopt a resolution to raise 500 million dollars in aid to improve living conditions for Jerusalem Palestinians as part of a "rescue plan."

The Arab League chief also said the 22-member organization should start talking to Tehran to address concerns, especially strong among Iran's neighbors across the Persian Gulf, about its nuclear program. "I know there is a worry among Arabs regarding Iran but this situation confirms the necessity of a dialogue with Iran," Moussa said in his speech.

Erdogan, whose country's traditionally warm relations with Israel have soured in the past few months, was a guest at the summit and he accepted an offer to form a new regional grouping of Turkey and the Arab League.

GAZA: Israeli troops and tanks left the Gaza Strip on Saturday, witnesses said, after the bloodiest clash in the Hamas-ruled enclave in 14 months killed two soldiers and a Palestinian.

The violence underscored the deadlock in US-mediated contacts between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose peacemaking bids have been sapped by Hamas hostility along with continued Israeli settlement construction on occupied land.

Resisting US pressure in what analysts called a bruising encounter with President Barack Obama in Washington this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not stop building in West Bank areas it annexed to East Jerusalem.

Obama wants Israel to halt settlement in East Jerusalem, an issue that created new friction when a plan to build 1,600 more houses was published as Vice President Joe Biden visited to urge "proximity talks" with US mediation. The Arab League, which had given its blessing to indirect Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, signalled a major review in strategy.

"We have to study the possibility that the peace process will be a complete failure," League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told Arab leaders gathered in the Libyan town of Sirte.

"It's time to face Israel. We have to have alternative plans because the situation has reached a turning point," he said.

The impasse has triggered sporadic rocket attacks this month from Gaza which drew Israeli airstrikes. On Friday, Palestinians ambushed soldiers who, the army said, had crossed the border to dismantle a mine. Two infantrymen were killed and two wounded.

MAXIMUM RESTRAINT The clashes, in which the army said it believed it had killed two gunmen, was the fiercest since the three-week Gaza war of early 2009. Some 1,400 Palestinians, mainly civilians, and 13 Israelis, mainly troops, died in that conflict.

Islamist Hamas spurns the Jewish state but has largely held fire since the war. It said its men took part in Friday's fighting, but only in order to repel the Israeli incursion.

"We have been used to seeing breakaway (Palestinian) groups doing the firing, and Hamas trying to calm things down. Possibly it is loosening its grip, for all sorts of reasons," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a television interview.

"Should that indeed prove to be the case, then there will also be ramifications for Hamas," he said, but added: "We have no interest in returning the region to what was in the past." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who during a visit to the region this month urged Israel to lift a Gaza embargo tightened after Hamas took over in 2007, also voiced concern.

"I reiterate my appeals ... for maximum restraint and an end to all violence, in particular at this critical time when we are engaged in efforts to revive peace talks," he said in Sirte, on the sidelines of the Arab League summit.

Gazan doctors said a 23-year-old Palestinian was killed in the clash near the town of Khan Younis, and five others wounded.

The dead man, identified as a civilian, was given a hero's funeral on Saturday, with scores of masked gunmen marching among the hundreds of mourners. "Martyr, rest in peace, and we will continue the struggle," they chanted.

Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Egypt and Jordan in a 1967 war. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but has expanded Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians want statehood in all the territories.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON WORLD PARLIAMENTARIANS TO SUPPORT MDGS AND DISARMAMENT EFFORTS

Given the common goal of the United Nations and parliaments worldwide to strive for a better future, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for strong cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), disarmament and clean energy. "Parliaments, at their best, embody the principles of dialogue, democracy and the rule of law, which are inextricably tied to reconciliation and good governance," the Secretary-General said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4460">message delivered today by Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development <"http://www.unctad.org/Templates/StartPage.asp?intItemID=2068">(UNCTAD) at the IPU Assembly underway in Bangkok, Thailand. Quoting the opening words of the United Nations Charter, "We the People", Mr. Ban said today that pa rliaments and the UN share a common responsibility to strive for the betterment of lives for people, particularly the most vulnerable. In pursuit of this goal, the Secretary-General called on IPU members to help achieve the eight universally accepted MDGs before the 2015 deadline. "Parliaments provide the enabling national legislative framework for achieving the MDGs. You are also at the forefront of fighting for improved livelihoods and access to basic services." Ways to accelerate progress will be the main theme of the MDG Summit hosted by Mr. Ban at the General Assembly High-Level debate in September in New York. On nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, the Secretary-General asked the IPU for its support to ensure success in May at the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, whose members include five nuclear powers -- also the five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United Sta tes. The Secretary-General also called for the IPU''s efforts to support climate change, saying parliamentarians can provide the foundation for building a green economy. "While the private sector will be a big part of the picture, parliaments can produce legislation that establishes incentives for innovation, promotes investment in clean technologies and renewable energy, and develops national plans and goals." Mr. Ban noted the challenges parliamentarians face, including lack of sufficient resources and expertise, and constitutional dominance or manipulation of the executive. Noting the IPU Assembly''s theme of political reconciliation and governance, Mr. Ban said it reflects the keen insight that elections are not, by themselves, enough to make a democracy. He noted that the UN was working with parliaments to strengthen "the quality of governance after the ballots has been counted" in Afghanistan, Burundi, Timor-Leste and Nepal, where the UN Mission there <"http://www.unmin.org.np">(UNMIN) helped Nepalis achieve their long-held vision of establishing "a Constituent Assembly that is representative of the country''s ethnic and religious mosaic."

In his recent article "Somaliland: America's underestimated friend [1]" Bashir Goth has eloquently compared Somalia with Somaliland with respect to peace building and democratic governance. Instead of critiquing the merits of Mr. Goth's article, Mohamed Ahmed responded with an article [2] full of personal attacks. This is exactly the way medieval kings used to response when they receive unfavorable news: kill the messenger! Mr. Ahmed has every right to criticize and attack Mr. Goth's ideas and opinions. However, when some people cannot face the facts they simply resort to personal attacks. Hence, Mr. Ahmed entire article focuses not on the subject matter—Somalia vs. Somaliland — but on Mr. Goth's history.

The change of heart on the part of Mr. Goth truly reflects the genuine reconciliation and peace-full co-existence of yesterday's foes in Somaliland. In other words, this change shows how far Somalilanders have gone to heal their wounds and seek common future. Take the example of, for instance, the incumbent Somaliland President Dahir R. Kahin and his loyal Foreign Minister Abdullahi M. Duale. These two men were at the opposed ends of political spectrum during the Somaliland's civil war in the 1980s. Yesterday, Mr. Kahim and Mr. Duale were members of the National Security Service (NSS) and the Somali Nation Movement (SNM), respectively. Today both are members of the Somaliland's ruling party UDUB. This shows that people of Somaliland have refused to be hostage to their gloomy past. The people of Somaliland have wisely decided to let bygones be bygones in order to have a better future for their children. In the process, even those who had blood on their hands, on both sides of the conflict, were forgiven and forgotten.

Mr. Goth's previous writings including those in Awdal Phenomenon represent Somaliland's painful past history. His previous writings on Somaliland, however pathetic they may look now, were merely a reflection of prevailing political upheaval at that time in Somaliland. And to set the record straight, Mr. Goth's support of Somaliland is not conditional on President Dahir R. Kahin. In fact, as an editor of Awdal News, Mr. Goth has repeatedly criticized Mr. Kahin's regime.

Having explained the circumstances surrounding Mr. Goth's past and present writings, let us now look at the issue at hand: differences between Somalia and Somaliland—-the theme of Mr. Goth's article. In Somaliland, there is a government that has a monopoly over the 'use of force' in the territory it claims to control. In Somalia, the Sharif government is protected by African Union forces. In Somaliland, there are political parties who are readying themselves to take part the upcoming presidential election. In Somalia, there are Al-Shabab and Hisbul-Islam who want to violently overthrow the government of President Sharif. In Somaliland, we have uninterrupted peace for over a decade now. In Somalia, we have a government whose forces routinely shell the biggest market of Mogadishu — the Bakara Market.

These are just a few glimpses of the realities prevailing in Somalia and Somaliland. Mr. Ahmed does not want hear or see the reality. For him attacking the messenger is easier for him since some facts are hard to deny. Therefore, Mr. Ahmed tries to kill the messenger– Mr. Goth– instead of critiquing his theme: differences between Somalia and Somaliland.

"History gets thicker as it approaches recent times" [A.J.P. Taylor English History 1914-45]

Let me begin by asserting that the intent of this article is not to undermine or damage Mr. Goth's credibility. I personally enjoy reading Mr. Goth'sconflicting stories. But what puzzles me most is his tendency to treachery and dishonest. Time and again, it has been difficult to comprehend his reasoning when it comes to the fundamental issue: 'the Somali Unity." In his most recent controversial piece titled:Somaliland: America's underestimated friend, Mr. Goth unapologetically bashed Somalia and stamped it as a nonexistent entity, while he depicted the North-Western part of the same country an exceptional place of oasis and progress.

To contemplate the author's past, in retrospect, in May 1991, Mr. Goth was quoted number of times in an editorial magazine which I have possession of it. In the MIDEEYE Magazine, issue No. 002, Mr. Goth describes SNM (Somali National Movement), a historical perspective as it puts it. Segments of his book 'Awdal Phenomenon' appeared in the magazine. "The unity of Somalia is one which is based on people having one culture, one language, one religion and one national integrity. And no single clan however powerful they assume themselves to be will never be able to nudge let alone move the mountain of Somali Nationalism," Bashir Omar Goth. Apparently Mr. Goth changed his relative place after his uncle Dahir Riyaale Kaahin became the president of the enclave he has been obsessed with lately.

Likewise the magazine cited Mr. Goth's past clan animus. When the secessionist's (SNM) embarked to declare independent state in the Northern Somalia, Mr. Goth was in the front to combat secessionist's agenda. He manifested a thorough hostility to the SNM and their proponents. Mr. Goth wrote:"Today, the civil war ragging on in the North of Somalia is an Issaq monitored war aimed at annihilating all the other Somali clans existing in the area, so that the Issaq cherished dream of creating an IssaqIndependent State, could be achieved. I am sure, many foreign people who were misled by the false propaganda published by the SNM would reconsider their positions towards the SNM." He went on and explained how North Westerners opposed The Dervish Patriotic Movement and SYL. Further, he wrote:"As Somalis strived towards the idea of nationhood, it has been the Issaq clan that stood alone in resisting the unity of the Somali people. Like ...who throws a tantrum when he does not get his own way, the Issaq clan has repeatedly displayed the selfish shortsightedness and violence of such ...outbursts but with dire consequences."

Mr. Goth also emphasized in his essay that the people of the Northern Somalia willfully joined their brethren Southern Somalia in July 01, 1960. Right! However, according to MIDEEYE, in his book he wrote: "When the Northern part of Somalia won independence on 26 June, 1960, the United Somali Party (USP) which had the Gadabursi and the Dhulbahante clans behind it called for an immediate reunion with the South which was under the Italian rule. Again it was the Issaq of the SNL who with instructions from the British government severely fought the idea of unification. And against their will the two Somali parts united to form a single state on 1st of July 1960." In 2010 Mr. Goth tells us the opposite: "... Somaliland, a country that gained its independence from Britain in 1960 and has become a full member of the United Nations before it joined the Italian colonized South in a union that brought them only destruction and misery." Amazingly, Mr. Goth rather underestimated his audience and perhaps aimed his whim to lure the younger unsuspecting minds.

In addition, let alone the peace and stability Mr. Goth proclaimed exists in Somaliland, the Riyaale administration which he supports has no mandate. Secondly, the conflict in Laascaanood looms on despite the torture and harassment of ordinary civilians. Indeed, it has been troublesome for the occupying forces to exert law and order on the people of Laascaanood. Recently, detainees from Laascaanood Prison were shipped to Berbera for security reasons; the leader of the SSC Resistance Forces, Suleiman Haglo Toosiye entered the region via Bandiiradley Airport in Central Mudug; Puntland military leaders also conferred with the clan chiefs to devise a plan that will free Laascaanood from the occupying Somaliland militia.

To conclude, Mr. Goth's diversion of the facts and his ever changing stand on the 'Somali Unity' is a clear indication of yet another hypocritical learned man who forfeited his own believes. The heedlessness of some of the Somali scholars and their whimsical nature bewilders the minds of the innocent. But thanks to the technology and research materials available to examine the perplexing arguments.

The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today said that he is pleased with the momentum generated by recent events in regard to the peace process in the war-torn nation, including a security sector reform meeting and the signing of an agreement between the Somali Government and a rebel group.

"We are a quarter of the way into the second year of the TFG's [Transitional Federal Government] term and managing the status quo is not an option. A number of firm and significant steps have been made that show the willingness and ability of the Government to use this transitional period wisely and for the benefit of the Somali people," Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, said in a statement.

The comments come just days after he met with Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and the head of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), Boubacar Diarra, at a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, of the Joint Security Committee (JSC).

During the meeting this past Tuesday, participants discussed the progress made and future actions needed to further the TFG's national security and stabilization plan, including training initiatives supported by the European Union and other members of the international community.

The UN does not have a peacekeeping mission in Somalia, but is mandated by the Security Council to work politically and logistically with the international community to support AMISOM and the TFG.

TFG President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was elected in January 2009, the first formal Government in Somalia since the overthrow of Siad Barre in 1991 pushed the country into turmoil.

A number of former rebel groups have at times supported TFG, the most recent being Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama'a, which signed a peace agreement with the Government earlier this month.

Mr. Ould-Abdallah said the agreement was an additional indication of the Government's commitment to associate all willing parties towards restoring peace and reconciliation.

In a related development, the Independent Federal Constitutional Commission (IFCC) wrapped up a workshop on Tuesday in Djibouti to lay out new parameters for the Constitutional process. The IFCC is expected to have a final draft Constitution prepared by 1 July.

This weekend, the Special Representative, along with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will attend the Arab League Summit in Sirte, Libya. While the meeting will focus on the Middle East, specifically the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, Mr. Ould-Abdallah is expected to raise the situation in Somalia with Arab leaders.

The talks will come ahead of a conference hosted by Turkey addressing Somalia's reconstruction and development, which is expected to take place on 22 May in Istanbul.

HARGEISA, 26 March 2010 (PLUSNEWS) - The truck drivers who criss-cross Somalia are considered at high risk of HIV, but incomplete prevention messages mean they are ill-equipped to protect themselves against the virus.

"The highest risk of disease spreading can come from the drivers who are going from town to town, deep in Somalia to Puntland [autonomous region in the northeast of Somalia] all the way to south-central Somalia and coming back to Somaliland," Hassan Omar Hagga, director of training at the Somaliland AIDS Commission (SOLNAC) secretariat, told IRIN/PlusNews.

He noted that border towns were of particular concern.

"In Tog-wajale [Somalia-Ethiopia border town] there are sex workers, but we do not recommend the use of condoms because we are a Muslim state," he said. "For this reason we can't urge people to use condoms; on the contrary, we tell people to give up adultery."

As a result of this policy, truck drivers and sex workers often hold misconceptions about condoms and as such, rarely use them.

"We do not use condoms at all, but sometimes we use plastic bags," said Karshe Gele*, a truck driver in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa. "We consider that condoms are the carriers [of HIV].

"We know that it [HIV] is transmitted through sexual intercourse, but we think that [prevalence] is not much in Somaliland," he added.

HIV prevalence in Somaliland has risen from about 0.9 percent in 1999 to 1.3 percent in 2007, according to Said Ahmed Abdi Mouse, communication and awareness officer for SOLNAC.

"We have made tangible [progress] against HIV-related stigma compared with 1999, when it was a shock to talk about HIV/AIDS publicly, but still stigma and limited education about the disease exist in the country, particularly in remote areas," SOLNAC's Hagga added.